GLUTEN-FREE QUINCE AND ALMOND CREAM CAKE
The quinces and almonds in this cake make a wonderful marriage but it is the addition of pastry cream that gives it its fabulous texture and sticky crust.
It may not be the most exotic looking cake in our repertoire but it is up there in the top-taste stakes.
As quinces have such a short season, you may not have a ready supply handily sitting in syrup in your pantry. If not, then poach some pear wedges in a red or white wine syrup and you’ll have a year-round cake on your hands.
Not all chefs are so generous with their recipes and so we thank Andrew McConnell - again - this time for his innovation in adding pastry cream to a cake batter.
Rosie
GLUTEN-FREE QUINCE AND ALMOND CREAM CAKE
(With thanks to Andrew McConnell for the original)
Serves 6
For the Pastry Cream
Makes 360gm approximately
3 egg yolks
65 gm caster sugar
35 gm cornflour
250 ml whole milk
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Whisk the egg yolks and sugar until light and creamy. Whisk in the cornflour.
Bring the milk and vanilla extract to a simmer. While whisking, slowly pour the hot milk into the egg mixture. Stir to combine. Transfer to a clean saucepan over a medium heat and stir continuously (to prevent lumps forming) until the custard is thick and glossy.
If your custard does form some lumps, transfer it to a bowl and whisk it furiously until the lumps have disappeared.
Allow to cool with a piece of baking paper placed directly onto the surface of the custard (to prevent a skin forming). Refrigerate until needed.
For the Cake
125 gm unsalted butter
125 gm caster sugar
1 whole egg
1 egg yolk
125 gm pastry cream (see above), at room temperature
150 gm almond meal
3 Candied Quinces or Red Wine Poached Pears, cut into thick wedges (see below)
Preheat the oven to 180°C. Grease and line a 20cm round cake tin.
Cream the butter and sugar until light and creamy. Add the whole egg then the yolk beating well after each addition.
Add the pastry cream and mix until smooth then fold in the almond meal.
Place the quince or pear wedges around the base of the lined cake tin then gently spoon the cake mixture over the top.
Bake for 1 hour. Don’t be tempted to remove the cake from the oven before the 1 hour is up - unless the cake happens to be on fire of course. The cake will develop a rich, dark crust and be soft and pudding-like inside.
Stand on a rack in the tin for 15 minutes before turning out onto a serving plate. The quinces or pears will now form the top of the cake.
Serve with whipped cream.
TIPS:
You can freeze the pastry cream in 125gm portions. Defrost in the fridge then bring back to room temperature before adding to the cake batter.
For something a little different, try folding some of the extra pastry cream into the whipped cream along with a dash of vanilla extract.
CANDIED QUINCES
2 lemons, juice only
1 litre water
4 quinces
700 gm caster sugar
750 ml water
Preheat oven to 130°C.
Combine lemon juice in a large bowl with water. Peel, core and cut quinces into eighths, retaining the cores and peel. Place each quince as you prepare it into the acidulated (lemon) water to prevent it oxidising.
Place the caster sugar and water in a medium saucepan over a low heat until the sugar has dissolved. Bring to the boil and simmer for 5 minutes.
Place the quince cores and peel in a large piece of muslin or similar and tie loosely together.
Place the quince pieces in a baking dish so they fit snugly and cover with the sugar syrup. Place the muslin-encased cores and peel over the top. This helps give the quinces their trademark deep red colour. Place a piece of baking paper directly on top of the muslin and then cover with a tightly fitting lid or foil and bake for 4 hours or until the quinces are a dark red colour but still holding their shape.
Allow to cool in their syrup, discard cores and peel, then transfer quinces to sterilised jars, ensuring they are covered by the syrup.
Store in the fridge. Quinces should last for up to 12 months.
Remove from the syrup before using for the cake. Reserve the syrup for another use. It is delicious poured over ice cream, used as a glaze for a tart or simply drizzled around the cake to serve.
TIP: Quinces have a short season in Australia and are time consuming to prepare. We usually make a double batch so we always have some on hand.
RED WINE POACHED PEARS
750 ml red wine (we used Tempranillo)
130 gm caster sugar (or to taste)
2 fresh bay leaves
3 large pears (we used Packham)
Combine the red wine, sugar and bay leaves in a heat proof pan large enough to accommodate the pear halves in one layer.
Bring to a simmer, stirring to dissolve the sugar.
Peel, halve and core then quarter the pears and place, in the liquid in the pan.
Simmer, covered, for 10-15 minutes before turning the pears. Simmer for a further 10 minutes, before turning over again. Test to see if the pears are cooked by inserting a fine skewer into the thickest part of a pear. It should not give any resistance.
Depending on ripeness, some of the pears may be ready before others, if this is the case, remove the cooked pears. If you have removed any pears, return them to the pan and allow to cool in the syrup.
Remove from the syrup before using for the cake. Reserve the syrup for another use. It is delicious poured over ice cream, used as a glaze for a tart or simply drizzled around the cake to serve.